Two-Ingredient Kimchi Fried Rice

Two-Ingredient Kimchi Fried Rice | cHowDivine.com

This truly is a two-ingredient kimchi fried rice. Well, oil and salt don’t count. They aren’t really ingredients, are they? And the “fancy” stuff sprinkled on top on the photos? Believe me, you don’t need it. They were added just for the benefit of the photos. This simple kimchi fried rice tastes just as good on a paper plate and wooden chopsticks as it does in a fancy bowl and fancy toppings. 😛

Of course, there are many ways to make kimchi fried rice. This two-ingredient kimchi fried rice is just the simplest way to make it. It’s perfect when you want a quick (as in 10 minutes or under) meal or a snack. If you want something savory for breakfast, just add a fried egg with runny yolk. It’s just as tasty for lunch or dinner. And it really hits the spot when you’re craving a midnight snack. I don’t know what it is about kimchi fried rice; but it’s what I crave whenever my appetite is in full gear after a long night out (or in).

It can’t get simpler than this. This recipe requires nothing more than what the name literally translates to: kimchi and rice. There aren’t many dishes you can say that about. Just make sure that the kimch is nicely ripened or sour. And I usually make this with brown or wild rice, but any type of steamed rice will do, just as long as it’s day-old or cold.

Maat-it-gae-deu-sae-yo! That’s Korean (romanized, of course) for bon appetit!

2-Ingredient-Kimchi-Fried-Rice

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Skinny Sweet Potato and Bean Chili

Skinny Sweet Potato and Bean Chili | cHowDivine.com

I cook a lot of stews, like this skinny sweet potato and bean chili, over the colder months. I love dishes that are rich, hearty, and piping hot when it’s cold outside. But that’s not the only reason why I cook them often. It’s also because I can reheat and enjoy them again and again. Luckily, stews reheat wonderfully and taste even better the second (or third) time around when the flavors have had a chance to percolate and meld together over a longer period of time. To be honest, that’s the main reason I make this skinny sweet potato and bean chili. It’s delicious from the get-go, but it’s even better reheated.

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Tteokguk (Korean Rice Cake Soup)

Tteokguk (Korean Rice Cake Soup) | cHowDivine.com

Happy (Lunar) New Year everyone! I hope this post finds everyone happy and well.

In a Korean home, a new year celebration always involves tteokguk or manduguk. When I was little, I was told that I couldn’t become a year older if I didn’t consume a bowl of tteok guk on New Year’s Day. Although that sounds like a nice proposition at this point in my life, I couldn’t wait to get older back then. But one thing has stayed constant. I still don’t need any excuses to devour a bowl of tteokguk. It’s one of my favorite cold-weather soups.

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Hobakjuk Revisited (Pumpkin Porridge with Rice Dumplings)

HobakJuk (Pumpkin Porridge with Rice "Mochi" Dumplings) by cHowDivine.com

I’m not crazy about cold weather. My threshold for cold weather is pretty low. If the temperature dips below 60, I just want to hibernate. But I love seasonal produce that comes with every season. Fall is no exception.

It’s not fall in our household without the cold-weather squashes. I love butternut and acorn squash. But they don’t hold a candle to my favorite winter squash of them all, kabocha squash. I love its sweetness and drier texture. It’s reminiscent of goguma (Korean sweet potato) and bahm (chestnuts), two of my favorite fall/winter treats. I love kabocha squash simply roasted or steamed. But they are wonderful in dishes as well. One of my favorite kabocha squash dishes is hobakjuk.

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